Creating unique event signs and custom banners for your business often sounds very simple, but once you get started, you may realize it’s a little more challenging than you expected. It’s one thing if you’re just putting a few words on a sign. Signs that indicate what events are in a room, for example, are pretty simple. Just list the event or events—that’s it. But other signs and banners may need more information. You also have to think about colors, fonts, if you need to put your business logo or name anywhere, and other information.
If you need to create some event signs or custom banners for your business, here are a few tips that will help you with design. You can also reach out to the team at TNT Signs. We can assist you in designing the perfect custom signs for your next event or for everyday use in your office or store.
What is the Purpose of Your Event Sign?
The first major design tip is to stop and think about the signs you need before you start designing. It can be tempting to pull up a computer program and start putting together images and text because that’s the fun part, but it never hurts to have a plan. You want to make sure that the signs and custom banners you create will serve their purpose. If you make signs to direct attendees to specific rooms, you want to make sure they’re fairly simple. They need to have large text and not much else. Signs that are more informative, though, should include all of the relevant information.
What happens if your direction sign is overly complicated? People may not even notice it or, if they do, they may not realize what information it’s trying to convey. Understanding the purpose of a sign will impact the colors you use, what graphics or images you put on it, and what text you add. It even impacts the size of the text and the font you select. A direction sign needs to have large, fairly plain text that can be read from far away, while an informative sign can have smaller font.
What Are You Printing On?
The second design tip is to keep in mind what you’re printing on. If it’s a plain white piece of paper or posterboard, you may want to avoid light yellow text or using images that are faded out. On the other hand, if you’re printing on black vinyl, you’ll want to use bright colors and be sure your text stands out. It can be easy to forget what you’re printing on when you see your design program with its white background.
Do You Want to Reuse the Signs and Banners?
If you want to reuse the custom signs and banners you’re creating, you want to make certain that nothing will date them. This means you’ll want to leave off specific dates, places, times, and other information that could change. Even if you plan on always hosting the event at the same place or during the same month, there’s always the chance that something could force you to change those arrangements. If that were to happen, you would have to have new signs made. While you may eventually want to replace your older signs and banners anyway, it’s always best when you get to make that decision rather than being forced to make it.
Understand the Bleed and the Trim Lines
When you design something for printing, there are a few terms you may hear that you don’t understand. These terms include the trim line and the bleed. The bleed is typically the outer 1/8th or .125 inches of the design. What you need to know about that bleed is that nothing important should appear on it. It will not be part of your final printed sign or banner. It’s there to ensure that the background and other items are printed to the very edge of the sign so there isn’t a thin white border around it. You want your background images or colors to go into the bleed, but no important text, logos, or other graphics should be within this outer edge.
The trim line indicates what the final sign will look like. It’s where the printer will cut once the design is printed. It’s the inside line of the bleed, and it shows you where the actual edges of your sign will be. Just to be safe, most experts recommend you add another 1/8th inch from your trim line. This area is often referred to as the safety area. You still don’t want to have any of your text or important images within this area. If something were to go wrong and the final sign be trimmed a little closer than the trim line, this safety zone will ensure that nothing important is cut off.
Just about everything that is professionally printed will need to have a bleed area and a trim line. They ensure that your final product will look exactly as you imagined it and that all of the elements of your design are fully printed and visible. If you have any questions about the bleed or trim lines for a project done with TNT Signs, all you have to do is ask. We’re more than happy to help you set up the correct areas on your design so you don’t have to worry about anything being cut off.
How Will You Hang the Sign or Banner?
Another design tip is to think about how you’ll hang the sign or banner before you start designing it. If you’re going to suspect it from the ceiling or otherwise hang it from holes in the sign, make certain you know where those holes will be. If you don’t plan for this, you could end up with a hole right through your logo or in the middle of some text. That’s not a good look—besides making it difficult to understand what your sign is saying, it also tells people that you didn’t pay attention to details when designing the sign. That can be a bad look on your business, especially if you have a number of signs, banners, and other items with holes in incorrect places.
Deciding how you’ll hang the banner often requires you to walk through the venue, at least in your mind if you can’t do so physically. Think of all the places you’ll have signs or banners and how you can display them. If you’re renting a venue, there may be specific requirements you must follow. For example, many hotels won’t allow you to hang signs on the walls using anything that could damage the paint. Be sure you know what’s allowed before you start designing signs.
Will Both Sides Be Visible?
If you’re hanging the sign from the ceiling or having it attached to a stake in a grassy area outside, it’s possible that both sides will be visible. Do you want to put anything on the back of the sign or banner? Some people choose to have the same design printed on both sides. Others create a second design for the back. Whichever works for you, be sure to think about whether having a double-sided banner or sign is the right move for you.
Will You Have Any Unusual Restrictions or Needs?
Finally, be sure to take any unusual restrictions or needs into consideration when designing your signs and banners. As mentioned, some event venues do have sign requirements you have to follow. Some may not allow you to put up signs over a certain size. Others may not have the option to hang banners from the ceiling. Whenever possible, you need to know exactly what size restrictions, hanging restrictions, and other issues your signs and banners must adhere to, whether you’re hosting the event or simply taking part in it as a vendor or other organization.
What Does it Take to Get a Custom Event Sign Printed?
Getting an event sign designed and printed doesn’t have to be a hassle. If you’ve never designed a custom sign or banner before, the team here at TNT Signs can help. We can walk you through the process of understanding where the bleed and trim lines will be, but we can also handle the design for you. Whether you have a basic sign design or need a more complex banner, we will help you create the marketing and advertising tools you need to succeed at whatever event you’re hosting or participating in.
In addition to custom signs and banners, TNT Signs can also help you with a wide range of different items. We can print your custom decals and stickers to use on your bags and other items, help you with custom displays for trade shows, and even work with you to create the ultimate vehicle wrap. Once the design is perfect, we’ll handle all the printing. Everything we print is done so using high-quality materials and vivid ink that is highly fade-resistant. Whether you want a small sign for your door or a large banner for the exterior of your building, TNT Signs is ready to make it a reality. Contact us today to learn more.
